Replacement Parts

I love going to consignment sales and I know that Rachel loves hitting up thrift stores. Since my child is still young, I get his birthday and Christmas presents at these sales. Sometimes when you buy things that are used, parts may be missing, broken, dirty or scratched up. If it is a well known brand, this shouldn't discourage you in buying it. Most companies sell replacement parts very reasonably. Here's one recent example:

I found an adorable firehouse for him for Christmas this year that I know he's going to love playing with. The only problem was that it came with only one fireman. I bought the set hoping that I could get more firemen for him to play with. It was such a great deal (the firehouse was $25 used where new I've seen it for about $80) that I knew I could rectify it somehow. I contacted Kid Kraft, the manufacturer, and learned that I could get two new firemen for only $3.50 plus s&h! Yay! Almost every single piece of this play set can be bought separately in case it breaks.

Checking out Ebay or Craig's list is another way to replace parts that you may be missing from a play set. I know that Little Tikes also sells replacement parts for their products and I'm guessing Fisher Price and most kid toy makers do as well. It makes parents happy to not have to pay to replace the WHOLE set when only one piece is missing or broken.

You may just need to think outside the box. Sometimes all you need is some elbow grease and Goo Gone, sometimes you need some paint. Its fun to get such great deals when you're creative about fixing them up.